Veteran Bellaire officer, bystander killed in shooting

Published 10:00 pm, Sunday, December 23, 2012

An armed suspect opened fire outside a southwest Houston body shop early Monday, killing a veteran Bellaire police officer and a bystander.

According to police, the shooting happened shortly before 9 a.m. on Dec. 24 following a brief police pursuit of the suspect. Cpl. Jimmie Norman, a 24-year veteran of Bellaire Police Department, was shot after approaching the suspect’s vehicle. The preliminary investigation indicates the suspect shot the bystander, who may have been coming to the aid of the officer, police said.

Bellaire officers who responded to the shooting returned fire on the suspect, who was shot twice and taken in critical condition to Memorial Hermann Southwest. The suspect’s identity was not known late Tuesday. The bystander’s identity also had not been released late Tuesday.

In a statement Monday afternoon, Bellaire Police Chief Byron Holloway described the loss of Cpl. Norman as “devastating” for the men and women of Bellaire Police Department and for the community of Bellaire. Norman, 53, is the first officer to be killed in service to the department, Holloway said.

Norman had “a police mind and a heart as big as any” and will be remembered as a problem-solver and mentor, someone who always worked to make the department better and to improve service to the citizens of Bellaire, Holloway said.

He expressed thanks to Houston Police Department, which is handling the criminal investigation of the shooting, and for an outpouring of support from across the Houston area.

Norman’s wife and two adult children have requested privacy to deal with the tragedy, Holloway said. Norman’s daughter works as a communications officer for the department with plans to pursue a career in law enforcement.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Norman family as well as the family of the citizen that was also shot and killed,” the chief said.

Norman began work for the department as a communications officer. He left for a brief period and worked for the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office. Upon his return to BPD, he worked as a patrolman, an investigator in the organized crime unit, a supervisor and a field training officer. He had numerous letters of commendation, Holloway said.

Norman was on duty as a patrol supervisor on Monday. He had been working about two hours when he attempted a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle in Bellaire.

According to news reports, the suspect vehicle fled and, in the course of the police pursuit, struck a white pickup truck, which also pursued the suspect vehicle until it came to a stop at the Maaco body shop, 5625 Bellaire Blvd., where the shooting erupted.